Microsoft Research imbues keyboard with Kinect-like gesture controls

This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. Terms of use.

Ever since Nintendo’s Wii, gesture and motion control have, more or less, gotten a bad rap. Microsoft’s Kinect didn’t help the matter, as users soon realized that it requires much less effort to press a button on a controller than it does to wildly wave your arm in the air. Microsoft Research has seemingly learned from its past, and has developed a device that aims to make gesture control require much less effort.

At least in terms of modern-day gesture and motion control, it turns out that more traditional control methods — touch, a mouse, a directional pad — are the most efficient ways to interface with the current iterations of our technology. The bad rap comes from the probability that, at some point down the road, motion and gesture (and likely voice and eye-tracking) control will be the norm, and the most efficient way to interact with our gadgets. Waving your arm anywhere in your house to turn on the lights is more efficient than walking over to and flipping on a switch.

The current motion and gesture control exploits, though, have thus far been inefficient and tedious — something we all learned the hard way when Microsoft released the original Kinect. It turns out pressing down on a D-pad to navigate Netflix is a much better way to start watching Archer than hoisting your arm in the air until it gets tired. However, if you didn’t have to hoist your arm, and could instead make a minimal movement while your hand is already in a resting position, then gesture control would become much more viable. Microsoft Research has devised a keyboard that takes cues from the Kinect in order to provide that effortless gesture control experience.

The keyboard is simple enough. Little low-resolution infrared proximity sensors have been placed in between the keys. Though the sensors are low-res, they can still detect your run-of-the-mill gestures, such as pinching to zoom, swiping, hovering with your hand, and tapping the air with your finger.

Gesture control for your keyboard has been attempted before. Not too long ago, the tech world briefly flipped out about and subsequently became very disappointed with the Leap Motion. The Leap Motion is a little rectangular device that sits near your keyboard or monitor, and grants PCs the power of — essentially — the Kinect. Unfortunately, the Leap didn’t work very well, but not because making gestures above your keyboard is inconvenient — the device just didn’t work very well. It may be weird to say after all this time, but the Leap Motion was a good idea, replacing the trackpad with the air above your keyboard. Microsoft building what is basically an in-keyboard Leap could potentially be the next step toward competent gesture control.

In fact, this type of device could alleviate a common problem when using Windows 8. The operating system was glaringly and infamously made for mobile, working best (and enjoyably) on tablets. However, using an interface made for touch-swiping on a desktop remains a chore. Being able to manipulate a swipe-heavy interface while still being able to rest your hand on a desk or keyboard should be a much more comfortable endeavor. (Read: Microsoft takes on Google X with its own secretive Special Projects group.)

Unfortunately, there is no word yet at this time whether or not Microsoft will release this kind of keyboard to consumers. All we can do is look forward to the day when gesture control on a PC isn’t too much of a chore, and take comfort knowing that big-name companies are working on it.

Tagged In

Huh, this is one of those rare times when I’m like “I would…actually…really love that new type of peripheral!” For times when most of the use of the computer is mouse-based, this wouldn’t offer terribly much better interfacing. However, for my job, I’m in Excel or databases most of my day, so to be able to keep my fingers on the keyboard but ‘click’ to other cells, places, lines, etc. and then have my right hand still positioned over the same keys for immediate retyping….that would be a gamechanger.

As it is, muscle memory lets my right arm go from home row keys to the mouse and them back to the same keys ALMOST every time, but occasionally I’ll start retyping after messing with the mouse without missing a beat and I’m one key off. Yeah, something like this keyboard would be incredibly fun to try out.

dc

If it worked easily and consistently it might be ok for some people. It’s probably like the swipe mouse MS made, which had a place on top you could swiped your fingers instead of using the mouse wheel. It stuttered and filled with dirt from the fingers. It was basically mediocre on day one and a complete POS three weeks later. Well it was always a POS but you really knew it after 3 weeks.

Cookies

That sounds like a personal problem.

I think you’re talking about the Arc Touch Mouse.

It wasn’t that bad, actually. The crust wasn’t much of an issue if you used the mouse with clean hands.

Then again, any mouse would gather crud if you didn’t use clean hands. I should know, since I spend some Saturdays cleaning off scroll wheels.

dc

A personal problem? I suppose. I’m just a regular guy, have dirty hands, a working man I suppose. I don’t spend much time cleaning my computer. Regular mice work just fine. That one, not so much. I’m sure with regular cleaning it would be mediocre, but I prefer my equipment to have more tolerance.

dc

The thing is, this keyboard doesn’t turn on the lights. Turning on lights, might be useful for lazy people. But it has nothing to do with this keyboard, which is most likely as cool as that swipe Mouse MS came out with a few years ago. I sadly bought one of those and after about a month destroyed it.

chojin999

The Metro/ModernUI nonsense nightmare … Microsoft will go bankrupt on this mess. They really don’t get it. They keep trying to force it on people no matter how much it sucks and people rejected it already.

Mauryan

With the money it has got, by now Microsoft should have developed a very robust voice activated system that types text on the screen fast as you say it without any blemishes. Then the reliance on mouse and arrow keys could be kept to the minimal. Carpal tunnel syndrome would be a thing of the past. Hopefully they will focus on developing Cortana to do just that.

ScoobiJohn

hmmmmm anyone with bad keyboard hygiene will be in trouble

dc

yep thats what happened with my MS swipe mouse. haha. I definitely have bad hygiene, don’t think I’ve bathed in days….. but did jump in the ocean a day ago. haha. I’m sure the crusty salt would do well on the keyboard.

Christy Ganger

that keyboard looks so tiny!

Christy Ganger

First saw this article I was like wooo is it going to type a letter when I go to press it saving me the time of completely pressing the button for faster typing?…ahh well

SpideyBry

Yes it is, but it’s obviously just a prototype. :-)

Christy Ganger

It’s laptop size.. depending on the cost to manufacture this vs touch screen, maybe cost saver vs touch screen netbook? would probably still prefer net book. I would love a solid kinect thing for backwards compatibility for 8 on my desktop tho, sounds great. wonder what it would do.. if anything in linux 0.o I’m sure someone would make an app for it.

sloppyslim

I’d have loved to have made microsoft some money , but at this point , I’m kinda tired and don’t really give a damn
a shame society an I couldn’t have reached some agreement , back when I did

Rafael Kireyev

I think it will be good for laptops. Because it will give the opportunity to exclude a touchpad which sometimes prevents fast typing.

Ezrad Lionel

I really love how the article bashes the current applications of motion detection technology, but somehow feels this keyboard is the beez knees.

pinch-zoom always felt retarded to me as does proprietary gestures, or proprietary anything for that matter.

I’ll sign in with my google account so a few years from now, when I’m rich as shit from the correct iteration of this gimmicky crap, you’ll know I wasn’t just flapping my lips for the love of it.

scH4mMer

Looks like a promising idea! I bet they get the resolution much higher once they’re past the POC stage, and come up with a semi-opaque surface so that you don’t even see the cameras (and you can’t gunk them up). I’m not sure why this article pans the Kinect sensor, though, especially taking Xbox One into account – I never pick up the game controller except for… games… and the rare application that doesn’t have good Kinect support. But 99% of what I do: watching TV, changing channels, controlling the DVR, Skype, and Music all respond great to voice and motion. I use Xbox Glass when I need a keyboard or I’m navigating a large list such as OneGuide – Kinect isn’t the correct tool for everything.

This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. Terms of use.

ExtremeTech Newsletter

Subscribe Today to get the latest ExtremeTech news delivered right to your inbox.